Tamil Diaspora agitates as civilian death toll rises

[TamilNet, Monday, 11 May 2009, 19:57 GMT]Around 2000 Tamil Diaspora men, women and children staged a protest demonstration Sunday in Toronto, Canada against the genocide of Tamils in Vanni blocking all lanes of a downtown Toronto highway for several hours, sources in Toronto said. “The Tamil Diaspora will not give up. The Sri Lankan regime continues to unleash terror on our people who have been silenced by brute force and unimaginable atrocities. ‘Mother India’ and International community remain silent. But we, the Tamil Diaspora, will see to that Justice is done. Tamil Eelam will be freed,” a protestor said.

Riot police stand in front of Tamil demonstrators after the protesters successfully blocked the Gardiner Expressway in Toronto on Sunday, May 10, 2009. (Darren Calabrese / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

As systematic shell attacks and aerial bombings continue in the so called “No Fire Zone” and thousands in the region face annihilation, Tamil Diaspora communities in Canada, UK, Norway, France, US, Australia, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark and other countries continue to protest in major cities around the world.

Protesters, many of whom have loved ones in the conflict zone, are calling for immediate halt of atrocities and the independence of Tamil Eelam and carried banners such as “Sri Lanka, stop the Genocide”, “Tamils are not Sri Lankans, Tamil Eelam must be freed”.

Protesters carried placards that highlighted the current dire condition and Sri Lanka’s strong ties and reliance on funds from China, Iran and Libya.